


New Mouse On The Block

by dream_atale



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Multimouse!Marinette, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23443021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dream_atale/pseuds/dream_atale
Summary: In which Adrien is confused. And oblivious (of course).
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 317





	1. Chapter 1

Adrien was confused. Very, very confused. 

Throwing Plagg some Camembert, he plopped himself onto his couch. He couldn’t stop thinking about the new superhero on the block. 

He really did thought Multimouse was Ladybug when he first saw her. And when she said she wasn’t... Well, what could he do but believe her? When it turned out Marinette was Multimouse, it was all he could do to not drop his jaw onto the ground. 

Sweet Marinette was really, really cute as a mouse-themed superhero. 

And then, as if it were not enough, both Ladybug and Marinette had turned to look at him. 

He thought he was going to have a heart attack then and there. How had he not seen it before? How could the two of them look so alike? If it weren’t for the fact they were standing right next to each other he would have thought Marinette was Ladybug. 

The thought sent his mind reeling. Clumsy and shy Marinette as the bold, graceful Ladybug? But then again, Marinette was in fact a great leader and could be surprisingly brave and capable in times of trouble.

But Marinette could not possibly be Ladybug because he literally saw them breathe the same air just minutes ago!

Letting out a low whine of frustration, Adrien jumped up from his couch and started pacing around.

“Plagg, I’m sure there was something off about the whole situation just now...”

“Mhm... munch... Yeah? And what’s so wrong about it?” The cat kwami didn’t even bother to look up from his beloved cheese. 

Meanwhile, Adrien was practically tearing his hair out, “Look. When did Ladybug arrive back on the scene anyway? When did she transform? Since Ladybug wasn’t transformed when she gave the mouse miraculous to Marinette, does it mean Marinette knows who Ladybug is? What if...”

“You think too much kid. We should just skip all this and hold a Camembert party for a job well done.”

Marinette was really amazing as Multimouse though. It’s amazing how she was able to pick up on the whole superhero shindig so fast. And her confidence was not unlike Ladybug’s. 

So why aren’t they the same person?

Argh. The thing was, it wasn’t likely that he’ll see Multimouse again. Since Marinette has revealed her identity, it wasn’t likely that Ladybug will be giving her the miraculous again anyway. 

“Stop pacing and whining will you. You’re distracting me from enjoying my Camembert.” Plagg drawled in distaste. 

“I just don’t understand! Why do I feel that the two of them are the same person even when they are obviously not?”

“Huh. Maybe it’s cause you’re just too slow to see what right in front of you.”

Adrien’s forehead crinkled in confusion, “What does that mean?”

Plagg let out a long-suffering sigh and pointedly ignored Adrien as he went back to munching on his Camembert. 

Scrubbing his hand over his face, Adrien sighed. He should probably just let this one lie.

——

As it turned out, he did see Multimouse again. Apparently, his Lady trusted him enough to let Marinette occasionally reprise her role as Multimouse. And Mme Mendeleive was too out of it to notice Multimouse’s identity. Though, other than that first appearance, he never saw his Lady and Multimouse together again.

Oh well. At least he had more opportunities to pun. 

“Wanna play a game of cat and mouse, Mouseketeer?” Chat Noir grinned at Multimouse as they leapt across rooftops. 

Narrowing her eyes at Chat, Multimouse retorted, “Ladybug was right, your puns are terrible.”

“Aw, and did you learn how to wound me from Ladybug too?”

Sighing in a way that sounded remarkably like Ladybug, Multimouse just replied, “You get to the Eiffel Tower first, I’ll take the akuma on a longer path!” 

With that, Multimouse veered off in a different direction, leading the akumatized villain away by waving some faux polka-dot earrings.

Later, just as Chat finished preparing what Ladybug instructed at the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug swung onto the scene with the akumatized villain stumbling behind her, disorientated and significantly handicapped. The akumatized villain’s damaged goggles, boots and weapons was obviously Multimouse’s handiwork. Though, Multimouse herself was nowhere in sight. 

In a series of clever traps, the villain was defeated and the akuma purified. Even after the city was restored, Multimouse didn’t appear. Slightly worried, Chat asked but Ladybug reassured him that Multimouse was off somewhere taking care of some civilians. 

Slightly disappointed he didn’t get to “pound it” with the new hero, Chat Noir told himself there was always next time.

—— 

Except there wasn’t. 

Sure, Multimouse did appear again occasionally, as did Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion, Ryuko, Monkey King and Pegasus. However, while the rest would be there to “pound it”, Multimouse never stuck around for their little after-battle ritual.

Chat wondered if it was because Marinette was shy or afraid of intruding.

So, he mentioned it to Ladybug. To his surprise, Ladybug burst out laughing. Chat couldn’t see what was so funny.

“Oh Chat.” Ladybug murmured affectionately, ruffling and petting his hair. Chat could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and the increasing impulse to purr. 

“That’s what you’ve been worrying about lately, Chaton?”

“My Lady, I‘m just worried Marinette might be feline excluded from the team. She’s really mice and surprisingly purrfect at this.”

When Ladybug retracted her hand, Chat didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. If the petting went on any longer he’ll turn into a purring mess but he did miss his Lady’s touch.

“Alright, I’ll mention it to Marinette next time I see her.“ Ladybug replied thoughtfully

——

The next time Multimouse appeared, she did stay around long enough to “pound it” with Kagami and Chat. The problem was, Ladybug wasn’t there. 

Chat could not remember the last time he didn’t manage to pound it with Ladybug. The only explanation he got was Ladybug had something urgent to attend to. 

He was really happy about finally being able to do his favorite part with Marinette. He was. But it just wasn’t the same without Ladybug. 

That was the least of his suspicions. Since that first encounter, he had simply never seen Ladybug and Multimouse together again. 

If he was fighting alongside Ladybug, Multimouse was away hiding. If he was running with Multimouse, Ladybug was off finding a way to defeat the akuma.

At first, he didn’t really notice, considering it wasn’t that often Multimouse appeared anyway. Yet, it became harder and harder to ignore as time went on. Especially since he started examining Ladybug, Multimouse and Marinette for differences and wound up even more confused.

He just needed to see them together again! 

—— 

Sometimes, Chat would accompany Multimouse or Marinette back home after a fight, especially if he wasn’t about to transform and Ladybug didn’t hang around. 

He began to see the differences in how Ladybug and Multimouse carried themselves. Both were confident and had no taste for his puns. But where Ladybug was serious and professional, Multimouse was relaxed and smiled more. 

They started to talk about the most random things, their thoughts and even tidbits of their daily lives. 

Since Chat knew Multimouse was Marinette, they were able to talk about her designing dreams and discuss whatever ideas she had for that week. 

And since Chat had to keep his identity hidden, he only talked about himself in vague terms, more often than not ending up talking about his guilty pleasure: anime.

To her credit, Marinette was only slightly surprised. She had watched some before and promised to try out some that he recommended.

“Another one that I lo—like is Ouran High School Host Club. You should try it! It’s paw-sitively funny!” He was saying to her.

Marinette stifled a laugh, grinning at him, “No wonder. Did you pick up your terrible flirting skills from Tamaki Suoh?”

Chat spluttered, “I... I’ll have you know Tamaki is a perfect gentlemice and a fine teacher in the arts of pleasing ladies!”

Marinette shook her head, looking at him fondly with a smile and dare he say, sparkling eyes. 

Adrien’s heart stuttered. 

Coupled with the cute buns that was just like mouse ears, Multimouse was just adorable.

He could feel a faint blush rising in his cheeks.

Multimouse really was sweet and Marinette even sweeter. If he wasn't already head over heels for Ladybug, he would probably fall just as hard for Marinette.

Wait, did that mean his crush on Ladybug was fading? 

——

Nope. 

Ladybug had executed a neat manouver: grabbed the item, spun away, destroyed the item and captured the akuma all in one swift motion. 

Worst, the determined look in Ladybug’s eyes as she finished the last part of her plan perfectly was one of pure confidence.

Chat could only bury his face in his hands in mock despair (to cover his hot cheeks).

He was still very much stuck in love with Ladybug.

His Lady was just too cool! Suave! Amazing! 

The small quirk of her mouth as she walked back to him pulled a huge grin out of him as well. 

Chat tried to ignore the temptation to melt into a happy puddle on the floor when Ladybug smiled faintly at him.

Yep. Still very much in love.

But was he falling for Marinette?

——

Adrien sometimes wondered why Marinette only ever stumbled and stuttered around him. Sure, it took him some time to notice it was only happening around him but he wasn't completely oblivious. 

When he realised it, he was a little hurt. Did she dislike him? Or did she find him aloof? 

Things have gotten better and he could now proudly consider Marinette as one of his close friends. He found that Marinette was a really nice and caring and creative and wonderful person.

A really wonderful person.

He watched as Marinette and Alya entered the classroom. Marinette was laughing while Alya waved her phone around. At once, his eyes were drawn to Marinette's open, beautiful face and the warm smile she gave to whoever greeted her.

Adrien could feel his heart lifting. Marinette was really beautiful. And kind. And why didn't he notice before? 

"Dude. Are you okay? You have this really silly smile..."

Adrien blinked, slowly realising that one, he didn't even notice Nino sitting down and two, he was grinning stupidly.

Straightening quickly, Adrien turned to Nino and said the first thing that came to his mind, "Marinette is really pretty." 

Nino shot him an unimpressed look, "Congratulations, but I think you might be the last one. Join the club, man." 

Oh no. Marinette is really pretty and nice. Everyone likes Marinette. Nino might think Adrien was oblivious but he wasn't unaware that quite a few of the boys in school has a crush on Marinette. Even Nino had a crush on Marinette once!

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. He doesn't stand a chance! Wait, what chance? Marinette is just a friend! Does he even have a crush on Marinette? His crush is Ladybug! What shou...

Seeing his friend spiraling into panic and confusion, Nino patted Adrien's back knowingly, "We all go through that stage at some point. Just go tell her how you feel!"

Adrien opened his mouth, ready to pour out all his woes when...

"Hi Adrien, hey Nino!" Marinette greeted cheerfully. Alya wasn't far behind, shooting them both a grin before returning to typing furiously on her phone.

Nino grinned and pushed Adrien forwards. Embarrassingly, Adrien froze. But just for a second. He managed a small, “Hi Marinette. Alya.” 

Mentally patting himself on the back, Adrien turned back around while the girls seated themselves down.

See? Not a crush. Just a friend. 

That’s right.

——


	2. Power Couple?

Adrien couldn’t sleep.

Now that he was sure of his crush situation, he couldn’t help wondering about another thing that may or may not have been bothering him since Multimouse appeared. 

What was Marinette’s relationship with Ladybug?

Marinette managed to arrange a interview with Ladybug for Alya once, right? And Ladybug once asked him to protect Marinette and even called her cute!

Frowning at the ceiling, Adrien called out to his kwami, “Plagg. Do you think Ladybug and Marinette are a couple?”

There was a sound that sounded suspiciously like cheese hitting the wall. 

“What?”

“Well, they seem pretty close, Ladybug must have given the mouse miraculous to Marinette while she was detransformed. That means she trusts her a lot. Plus, the way Marinette was looking at Ladybug after the Kwamibuster incident before Ladybug took her home... What if they’re in love!”

There was a long silence. 

“Kid, please stop thinking. You’re probably hurting yourself.”

Sighing, Adrien turned on his side. The thing was, the more he thought about it, the more Ladybug and Marinette seemed perfect for each other. 

What if, the reason why they were never seen together was to avoid speculation that they were together? Because they would be too obvious about it?

He took a long time to fall asleep that night. 

——

The disaster that was Miracle Queen happened. Rena Rouge, Viperion, Monkey King, Pegasus’ identities were exposed. Hawkmoth already knew about Kagami. And with a little deduction, it was obvious Nino was Carapace.

To say Adrien was surprised was an understatement. Who knew he was fighting alongside so many of his classmates? Not to mention his best friend!

Though, Adrien wondered why Marinette wasn’t there. As Multimouse, she was a miraculous holder. Yet, she did not appear to take it up. Perhaps she managed to avoid getting stung? 

In any case, the rest of their team was out of commission. Even he agreed with his lady that it was too dangerous to let them continue as superheroes.

One upside to all this was that his lady seems to trust him more now. Ladybug even asked him to keep a lookout for possible miraculous holders!

He said he’ll do his best but to be honest, Adrien only knew that many people and a good number of them already belonged to the ‘been there, done that’ category.

What’s more, the most suitable candidate Marinette was already a miraculous holder!

Well, nobody said it was going to be easy.

——

Then, all of a sudden, Multimouse was no more. Souris D'argent was the new mouse miraculous holder. 

Though initially a bit timid, the new hero was just as able when she got into the swing of things. Sweet and able to work well with the others, Souris was another great addition to the team. 

But Chat couldn’t help feeling a pang of loss. 

It soon became clear that Multimouse wasn’t coming back. It was with some hesitation that Chat decided to ask his lady about it.

High up on the Eiffel Tower, Chat tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, “M’Lady, don’t get me wrong, I like Souris but... why did you give the mouse miraculous to someone else?”

He could feel Ladybug shifting to look at him but he didn’t dare face her. He wasn’t confident of keeping the disappointment out of his face. 

There was a soft, “Oh Chat...” 

Well, it was worth a try. But his lady knew him too well.

“Do you remember the last time Multimouse appeared? The one where Warmonger came dangerously close to unmasking her?” 

He nodded.

“Well, Marinette told me the strain might be a bit too much for her to handle. She was a bit worried about her family being in danger. So we both decided to give the mouse to someone else.” Ladybug explained, biting her lip. 

Chat knew there was something else Ladybug wasn’t saying. But what she had said seemed true enough. Perhaps Marinette had asked Ladybug to keep part of the reason private?

Chat resolved that a visit to his princess was in order.

——

As it turned out, Marinette gave a similar answer. Once again, Chat got the feeling that something was being left unsaid but he was not one to probe where he was unwanted. 

So he settled for some delicious macaroons and treats that his princess had baked. (He pushed away the thought that his lady and Marinette shared secrets and they might be together.)

Then Marinette smiled at him. It was only then that he realized just how much he missed Multimouse. 

With Adrien, those smiles were far and rare in between. While Marinette smiled at their classmates all the time and laughed often, those smiles weren’t directed at him. Before, all he got was a wide-eyed stare and too-wide, pained smiles. It was better now, but Marinette smiling at him was still rare and always a bit controlled.

With Chat, those smiles came easily. Sparkly eyes, bright smile, cute pigtails. If he weren’t already in love with his lady, he’ll probably fall head over heels for this girl. 

He missed Multimouse. He wished he got to see this side of Marinette as his civilian self. He wanted to see her on a regular basis. 

So it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t help coming back for more. 


End file.
